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Rahma Mediterranean Market of Dublin Wins 2017 StopWaste Award

Khaled Aburahma of Rahma Market receives 2017 Business Award

Rahma Mediterranean Market in Dublin received a 2017 Business Efficiency Award for Excellence in Recycling and Composting from StopWaste. Rahma is a small, independently owned Halal food market and catering company that has served the Tri-Valley area with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods since 2008.

Owner Khaled Aburahma is committed to waste reduction and set up recycling and composting service years ago. He did so voluntarily even though Dublin is among the few cities in the county not affected by the Alameda County Mandatory Recycling Ordinance, passed in 2012. Aburahma actively promotes waste reduction among employees. “I always try to minimize waste and recycle everything. It has become a habit of my staff as well,” he explained.

Rahma Mediterranean Market recycles and composts 88% of their waste, saving the business nearly $10,000 a year on garbage disposal fees. In addition, Aburahma’s efficient purchasing and inventory management practices help prevent food waste in the first place.

Based on audits by Amador Valley Industries, Dublin’s waste management company, Rahma’s trash contains little or no recyclable or compostable materials. “Khaled is a conscientious businessman who understands the importance of practicing good environmental stewardship, as an individual and in operating his business,” emphasized Jesse Tieger, Recycling Coordinator at Amador Valley Industries.

Later this year the successful market will move to a larger space at 7111 Village Parkway in Dublin and include a fine dining Mediterranean restaurant. The building will feature high efficiency windows and lighting fixtures, and Aburahma is considering adding a solar system.

Proactive businesses like Rahma are important to Alameda County. During the award ceremony on March 22, StopWaste Executive Director Wendy Sommer stated: “Laws only get you so far. It is businesses like the ones we are celebrating today that give us an edge by going beyond requirements in their daily operations.”